Efficacy of yoga for caregivers of persons with dementia: An integrative review.

Caring for a person with dementia at home can improve outcomes for the person but often leads to stress and self-neglect for the caregiver. Yoga, which includes postures, breathing, relaxation, and meditation, may help reduce these negative effects. An integrative review of four studies—two randomized controlled trials, a non-randomized intervention, and a pilot cohort—found that yoga may reduce stress, depression, and anxiety while improving quality of life, vitality, self-compassion, mindful attention, sleep quality, and diastolic blood pressure. Caregiver burden, systolic blood pressure, and heart rate showed no significant change. The evidence was moderate, with small samples, indicating a need for larger trials.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The progressive nature of dementia leaves the person vulnerable and dependent on others for care. While persons with dementia often have better outcomes when cared for at home, it can lead to personal challenges and self-neglect of the caregiver. Mindfulness-based interventions such as yoga can lessen the potential negative effects encountered by caregivers of persons with dementia. The aim of this review was to synthesise available empirical research related to the role of yoga on the biopsychosocial health outcomes for caregivers of persons with dementia population. A systematic search of the databases Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Plus, Medline and PsychINFO was done using the terms "yoga" AND "caregivers or family members or informal caregivers" AND "dementia or Alzheimer's." Using the selection process outlined by the PRISMA framework, thirty-six studies met the initial criteria and were potentially relevant to the topic. A methodological check was performed using the critical appraisal tool of Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt and the GRADE system of recommendation. This process led to the inclusion of four articles. Four studies were included for this review: two randomised controlled trials, a non-randomised intervention study with a waitlist and a pilot cohort study. Three studies focused on informal caregivers and one study involved professional caregivers. In all studies, yoga practices included asanas, pranayama, relaxation and meditation. This integrative review recommended that yoga may be useful in reducing stress, depression and anxiety while increasing quality of life indicators, vitality indicators, self-compassion scores, mindfulness attention, sleep quality and diastolic blood pressure. Outcomes that were not significantly changed were caregiver burden, systolic blood pressure and heart rate. However, the level of evidence was moderate with small sample sizes suggesting additional research is needed to include well-designed randomised controlled trials with larger sample sizes.